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Lantos Downplays Mideast Conference

[Jerusalem Post] Tovah Lazaroff - Congressman Tom Lantos, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, warned Sunday in Jerusalem against the premature removal of West Bank checkpoints. "The Palestinian Authority is not capable of providing security at this stage," he said. "The premature removal of these checkpoints is a guarantee of violence and terrorism erupting." "Having conquered Gaza, Hamas is determined to conquer the West Bank, and to destroy Israel," he said. "Arms and funds are pouring in through the tunnels on the Egyptian-Gaza border. It is long overdue that the vast Egyptian army take the necessary steps to stop this outrageous flow perpetrated by the merchants of death." Lantos said Saudi Arabian leaders should talk with Israel if they wanted to be serious actors in the peace process. "The time is long overdue for the Saudis to recognize that if there is to be peace in this region, they and the Israeli leadership must meet face to face many times to move this difficult process forward." Lantos doubted whether President Bush's planned international summit would yield significant results. "We must not exaggerate any expectations with respect to that meeting," he said.
2007-08-13 01:00:00
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